Water is Thicker Than Blood
by Timeless Writing
Summary: Akihiko loved to swim, so when she finds out she has to leave her friends in the states and will ruin their chances of winning the medley relay, she is devastated. When she arrives at her new school in Japan, she hopes they have a swim team, and they do. Just not for girls. Determined to swim competitively, she decides to start a swim team, no matter how hard it is. UP 4 ADOPTION.
1. Chapter 1

Akihiko Hanamiya loves to swim. Whether it was for fun or for a competition, count her in. She was going to take part. She loved the thrill of the feel of the water on her skin, especially when it was a competition. She would be filled with adrenaline and excitement, looking forward to being able to swim with people who were potentially better than her. Akihiko could care less about her time or her speed-winning was just a bonus! Unless it was a team event, of course. She'd never be able to live with herself if she lost a team event-she just wanted to race. So, when she heard the news, she wasn't particularly happy.

* * *

Pulling her soaking wet self out of the water, Akihiko smiled in contentment, pushing a few stray bangs out of her face as she pulled off her goggles and swim cap. She was walking over to where her towel was laying on a lone chair when clapping filled her hearing. Akihiko didn't bother to turn around, already knowing who her mystery visitor was.

"Your swimming is as awesome as ever, Imouto! It never ceases to amaze me!" The visitor cheered.

Akihiko sighed, and wrapped the towel around herself.

"Thanks, Nii-san, I guess," She murmured.

An arm wrapped itself around Akihiko's shoulders and she felt her hair being ruffled, despite it still being wet.

"Aki, call me Nee-chan!" The person whined.

Akihiko pried the arm off her and turned to see her one man audience, which consisted of her older brother turned sister. The two siblings looked fairly similar, made even more so after the older's surgery on his journey towards becoming a woman. They both had dark brown hair, though the older's hair fell down to her waist while Akihiko's barely came down to her shoulders. Both of them had hazel colored eyes along with petite body frames. The two definitely looked like siblings, to say the least.

"Sorry, Nee-san. I'm still not used to the title change. I apologize."

The taller of the two laughed, and ruffled the younger's hair once again, much to her displeasure.

"It's cool!" Akihiko's older sister chirped. "I know it's hard having to refer to me differently. Even I'm having a hard time adjusting to all the different pronouns and such! At least here in the U.S. people mostly refer to me by my first name, so it's not _too_ difficult since I'm always referred to as Misaki!" Akihiko simply nodded. "Oh, and before I forget, Tou-san wanted to speak to you...," Misaki continued, her expression sobering up.

Akihiko noticed the change in her sibling's behavior, but simply brushed it off as her being upset at not being told the news while Akihiko was.

"Would you mind telling him that I'll be there as soon as I change?" The younger of the two asked, picking up her things and heading towards the locker room in order to shower.

"Okay! I'll tell him, and then I'm going to head home, so see you later!" Misaki called after her sister's retreating figure, back to her cheery state.

Akihiko didn't reply.

* * *

Akihiko sighed and toweled off her hair, wrapping the cloth around her shoulders as to not wet her clothes

"Ah, that was refreshing, wasn't it, Mitsu?" Akihiko hummed, addressing the Yorkshire Terrier at her side. "Tou-san wants to see me, huh? This better be good and not some lousy training check like last time. I can handle my own training, thank you very much!" She huffed, looking down at Kunimitsu, who simply wagged his tail. Akihiko sighed. "This is such a hassle. He knows regionals are coming up! If I don't hurry and practice my freestyle I might be too slow during the medley relay, and if that happens, I'll let down Anna and the others! I can't do that! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that! They've all been working so hard to get to regionals…" She mumbled to herself, running a hand through her still damp hair as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

The teen walked out of the room and towards the basketball courts, Kunimitsu following along loyally.

As Akihiko pushed open the metal doors leading to the courts, she could hear her father yelling, "**Fix your stance, Anderson! This is the third time this week! You've been playing this game for thirteen years, you should be able to do it in your sleep!**"

The brunet man turned around and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, causing his daughter to snicker at the sight.

"Hey, Tou-san! Nee-san said you wanted to speak with me?" She called out to the annoyed man, waving one hand to get his attention as the other moved to adjust the straps of her tote bag.

He looked up in surprise when Akihiko called out to him.

"Ah, Akihiko! There you are! I was looking for you earlier but you were busy training, so I told your sister to have you come see me when you were done."

"Yes, I can see that," Akihiko deadpanned. "Now, what did you want to tell me?"

"About that... Could we discuss this in my office?" Akihiko's father asked nervously.

Akihiko eyed him suspiciously, but agreed, causing her father to sigh in relief.

"**Alright guys, I'll be right back! Keep training, understood?**" He yelled towards his students, who yelled back an equally as enthusiastic, "**Yes, Coach Hanamiya!"**

Turning back towards his daughter, the brunet led her to a small office connected to the basketball courts, nearly closing the door on his daughter's precious Kunimitsu.

"You remember your aunt Sakuno, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, we visit her every summer...," Akihiko replied, not exactly sure where the conversation was going.

"She was hospitalized the other day when she was paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident. We're... Going to have to move to Japan to take care of her since she's the only living relative I have left in Japan. We leave in two days, on Friday."

"No way!" The shocked swimmer exclaimed. "Regionals are next month and you're telling me I have to give up everything I've done to prepare for them?! If we leave now then Anna, Cameron, and Sasha will be disqualified! They've been working towards getting to regionals since before I even joined their little trio eight years ago when we moved here, and now you're telling me I'm going to have to tell them that they're going to have to forfeit because of me?! You _know_ the relay needs four people to participate!"

"My sister nearly _died_, Akihiko!" Ryoma, Akihiko's father shouted in anger. "Now she can't move, much less take care of herself! Your friends will survive if they miss regionals, your aunt won't if someone doesn't go to take care of her!"

"Can't a neighbor take care of her until after regionals? At least let me compete in regionals before we leave!" The teen retorted.

"No, my decision is final, Akihiko. This conversation is over."

Akihiko glared down at the floor and balled her fists, gritting through her teeth, "_Fine_. I'll tell my friends. I'll see you at home."

"Wait, Akihiko-!"

Ryoma was cut off by his daughter storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her. He sighed, and placed his head in his hands.

"Kami-sama, why _now_?"

* * *

Hey, guys! It's Bella Archer! I hope you guys like my first story for the fandom! Please like, comment, follow, etc.!

P.S. I forgot to mention that English is Bold and Japanese is Normal...

P.P.S. I'm reposting this after it was taken down because, frankly, it's no longer interactive, and that's the reason it was taken down. Please continue to support me!


	2. Chapter 2

When Akihiko got home, she immediately ran up to her room and screamed into her pillow, ignoring her mother's worried calls.

There was a knock on the door and she grumbled through the pillow, "Go away!"

The door opened and Misaki entered, looking down at her sister sympathetically.

"I'm assuming you heard the news, then, huh, Aki?"

Akihiko moved her head slightly so an eye could glare at her sister.

"Yes, and it's so _frustrating_!" She half complained half screamed into the poor pillow that the brunette had chosen to take out her frustrations on.

"I can't say I don't feel bad for you, Imouto, but we _are_ moving for a good reason," Misaki said, trying to calm down her younger sister.

"Oh, and I'm assuming you're going to stay here, aren't you? You have a job of your own after all…," Akihiko pouted.

"Only until I finish this most recent job and then I'm going to go to Japan to join you guys."

"I don't get it," Akihiko said, propping herself up on her elbows. "Why don't you just stay? It would be easier and you wouldn't have to find a new job. All your friends are here too"

"It seems like you're forgetting that I still live with my parents, Aki. Besides, the IT company I work for is international, and once I told them my situation they gladly offered me a job in Japan. And for my friends, well, they understand I want to be with my family," Misaki reasoned.

Akihiko flopped back down on the bed and buried her face in her pillow, holding out her hand to her sister.

"Can you pass me my phone?" She requested, her voice muffled by the cloth of the pillow case.

"Sure."

A red cell phone was placed into the open palm and the smaller girl's fingers curled around it, holding it firmly. The device was brought up to Akihiko's face and she began to look through her contacts, searching for her best friends' information. Misaki took that as her cue to leave and stood up from where she had been sitting on the edge of the be next to her sulking sister.

"I'll be in my room if you need anything, okay, Aki?" She said as she began to exit the room, but all the received in response was a grunt of acknowledgement, causing her to sigh.

The door clicked shut as her older sibling left the room and Akihiko let loose the tension in her shoulders. This was so _unfair!_ Her father _knew_ just how much competing in regionals meant to her and her friends yet he still decided to drag her off to Japan a week before they were held!

"Ugh! He's such a jerk!" She screamed into her pillow.

The tantrum continued like this for several more minutes before Akihiko's throat became sore and it hurt to scream.

The raven-haired teen rolled over onto her back and looked up at her contacts list on her phone. She didn't particularly want to have to tell her best friends the news, but she couldn't exactly keep it from them, could she?

Opening up a new group message, Akihiko reluctantly typed:

_Meet me at the pool. I need to tell you guys something important._


	3. Chapter 3

English: **Example**

Japanese: Example

* * *

"Akihiko! What's up?" A blonde girl hollered, as she ran up to her best friend of eight years.

Akihiko turned and gave her a bitter smile.

"Hey, Anna. Are the others on their way?"

Anna blinked and seemed surprised but quickly shook it off, answering with, "Yeah, Cameron and Sasha told me that they were about to arrive. They should be here any time now."

"Good. This is important."

Anna looked at Akihiko quizzically.

"Why are you so serious all of a sudden, Akihiko? You're never act like this."

The brunette grimaced and replied, "Let's just say I have some bad news."

Anna tilted her head to the right, frowning slightly.

"Bad news? What could be so bad as to-" She asked, but before she could finish she was cut off by the doors being slammed open.

"Akihiko! What did you need to tell us?!" One of the brunettes who had just entered demanded.

"Cameron, calm down. You don't need to yell," The second brunette said, placing a hand on Cameron's shoulder.

"Ah, Sasha, Cameron, you're here." Akihiko said monotonously.

The original trio froze, and stared at the Japanese teen.

"D-Did Akihiko just said what I thought she said?" Sasha stuttered in disbelief.

"She did! This has got to be really serious if she didn't call Cameron by her nickname, Camera," Anna gaped.

Cameron but her lip worriedly as Akihiko ran her fingers through her hair and gestured for them to sit down on the bench, sighing.

"I have some bad news," Akihiko began. "I'm moving back to Japan," and the tense silence was filled with protests.

"What?! Why?! Regionals are next month and we can't compete without you! You can't go!" Cameron cried out.

"Yeah! If we're going to do the medley we need four people, not three! We'll be disqualified if you move back now!" Sasha agreed, siding with Cameron.

"If you have to move back now, I guess it can't be helped, but why?" Anna asked, seemingly resigned to the fact that the fourth member of their group was leaving.

Akihiko glared down at the floor bitterly, spitting out, "My aunt got in a car crash and was paralyzed from the neck down. She can't move her body at all in order to take care of herself so my dad decided that instead of having a neighbor take care of her until after regionals, we all have to go right away to Japan."

Anna sent her best friend a pitying look.

"That's terrible! Your aunt is more important than our dreams! You need to go to Japan!" Cameron insisted.

"No!" Akihiko interrupted. "She can wait a month! I know how hard you all have been working to get this far and we can't just quit this far in the race! I'm going to convince my dad and then we're all going to get to nationals, alright? We'll-"

"That's enough, Akihiko," Anna cut her off. "Your aunt needs you. We'll manage somehow."

"B-But…!"

Anna gave her a grin.

"You didn't let me finish, Akihiko. I was going to say that if you leave, you need to make a promise with us first."

Akihiko furrowed her eyebrows, confused, Cameron and Sasha's faces sporting similar expressions.

"A promise?" She asked.

Anna nodded.

"A promise. You have to promise with us that one day we'll all meet again one day at the Olympics or internationals!"

Akihiko looked shocked for a moment before a grin began to cover her face.

"A promise, huh? I like it!" She chirped, her and Anna looking to the other two girls as she said the next line. "What do you guys think?"

The two blinked and grinned, their eyes sparkling.

"I think it's an awesome idea!"

"Let's do it!"

Anna nodded, satisfied.

"Well, then, it's a deal!" She declared. "Hands in girls!"

The group of four placed got in a circle, each placing a hand in the middle before chanting, "One, two, three, Birds of Paradise dismissed!"

* * *

"We're gonna miss you, Aki…" Cameron murmured, her arms wrapped around Akihiko, burying her head in Akihiko's shoulder as they said good-bye.

"It's not like I'm going to be gone forever, Camera. We're going to see each other again at the Olympics or internationals for sure!" The Japanese girl declared, ruffling the shorter girl's hair.

"She's right, Cam! Don't be such a downer!" Sasha grinned to her younger sister, slinging an arm around their leaving friend.

Cameron pouted, looking at the two.

"It's not my fault I'm upset, Sasha! In fact, you should be more upset! Akihiko is one of our best friends!"

"Calm down, you two. She doesn't need to put up with your bickering right before she leaves," Anna scolded. "And Cameron, we're all going to miss her, but we have confidence that we'll make it to either the Olympics or internationals and see each other again, so cheer up!"

Cameron opened her mouth to say something in reply when music filled the air.

"It's in your eyes, a color fade out

Looks like a new transition

The starting up and shaking your ground

Turning your head to see a new day calling

Does it feel like a head to lean on?

A snapshot from when-"

Akihiko blinked, and mumbled out, "Sorry," before jogging over to her bag, which rested on the floor next to the bench, rummaging through it until she found her phone.

"Hello?" She answered, her phone pressed to her ear.

She frowned upon hearing the reply, snapping back in Japanese, "Tell him I'll be there, okay? The least he could let me do is explain the situation to my friends!"

There was a garbled response from the other side of the line and Akihiko huffed back, "Fine," before angrily ending the call and shoving her cell phone back into her pocket.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Sasha asked worriedly.

Akihiko sighed, running a hand through her hair before replying, "I gotta go. My dad wants me back home, packing. I'll text you guys later, alright? Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean we can't still talk!" as she picked up her bag.

"Bye!" The three other girls called out as their best friend left the building.

* * *

Click!

The front door of the house was slowly pushed open, creaking slightly as Akihiko tried to slip in without being noticed.

"Oh, Akihiko! Just in time! Could you help me with this?" A woman asked as she walked through a nearby open doorway, struggling to hold up the two large boxes in her her arms.

Cursing under her breath for being caught, Akihiko closed the door behind her before grabbing the boxes from her mother's arms.

"Thank you," The brown-eyed woman said to her daughter as she straightened out the baggy t-shirt she wore.

"No problem," Akihiko grunted. "Where does this go?"

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed. "Just put it down in the living room. That's where all the boxes are."

"Alright," Akihiko answered, moving towards the door at the end of the hall that led to where she was supposed to put down the boxes she held.

"Aki, you're not still mad at your father, are you?" The woman asked, following her daughter.

"Why wouldn't I be? He's making me leave right before regionals. I think that's a perfectly reasonable reason to be mad at him," Akihiko huffed as she put down the boxes she held next to the others.

Her mother sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'll try to talk him into letting you stay with your sister until after regionals but I'm making no promises!"

Looking up in shock, Akihiko spluttered, "Really?"

"No promises!"

"Still!" Akihiko grinned. "You'd do that for me?"

"Only because I know how much it means to you."

"You're the best, Okaa-san!" Akihiko cried out, hugging her.

"I said no promises!"


	4. Chapter 4

"But, Ryoma! Why not? She could always stay with Misaki until after regionals!" Akihiko heard her mother protest as both her parents made their way upstairs to get ready for bed.

"Think about it, Shouko! If we let her stay for regionals now, she'll want to stay for the next competition as well and on and on! Besides, I already filed the transfer papers so it's not like there's anything we can do about it this late into moving. If she stayed she'd be missing so much school!" Her father retorted.

"... I suppose you're right. I feel so bad for her though. She was looking forward so much to this. You know better than anyone how hard her and her friends worked to get this far."

"Trust me, Shouko. I didn't want to do this to her either but it's for the best. Now, c'mon. We have a long day tomorrow."

Shouko sighed.

"Alright…" She said before following after her husband into their room.

Akihiko laid there on her bed, staring up at the ceiling in shock.

Stupid.

Stupid.

_Stupid._

_**She was so stupid.**_

Of course her father was going to say no. Why wouldn't he? His sister had nearly died. That was way more important than her going to regionals, right? Even _if_ it meant _they_ couldn't go to regionals because of her. So why? Why was she crying?

Akihiko sniffed, wiping her nose on her arm before roughly turning over onto her side, one arm under her head as the other wrapped itself around her side. She was in no position to be complaining. Even if she had to leave now, she could still talk to her friends, granted it would be harder because of the time difference. She would get to see them when they reached either the Olympics or internationals(which she had to admit she had a _little_ bit of a doubt that they would achieve that) and it wasn't like it was absolute that the school she was going to didn't have a pool(She'd have to remember to ask her dad about that).

Satisfied with her new way of thinking, the youngest member of the Hanamiya let her eyes flutter close and laid in her bed until she fell asleep.

* * *

"_I don't wanna go!" seven-year-old Akihiko complained as was dragged along the hallway to her new school by her father._

"_Akihiko, you __have_ _to go to school! Your brother didn't have any problem with going to school! You even have it easier off than him! __He_ _had to transfer into his last year of intermediate! You're lucky you'll only be going into second grade! It's a lot easier to make friends around your age then it is at Misaki's age," Forty-year-old Ryoma Hanamiya lectured as he pulled his daughter along behind him, pushing open the door to Cherrywood Elementary's office._

_Akihiko huffed childishly, looking away as she followed her father into the office-like room._

"_**Excuse me, Miss?**_"

_A long-haired woman with red-framed glasses looked from the computer she was working on and said, "__**Yes? May I help you?**_"

"_**I'm here for the transfer of Akihiko Hanamiya. Today is supposed to be her first day but I wasn't sure if there were any complications that had to be taken care of.**_"

_The woman nodded before telling the father daughter pair to hold on while she checked._

"_**Well, it seems like there's nothing that needs to be taken care of! You're all set to go! I'll have Mrs. Jones escort you to room 15.**_" _The woman cheerfully told them. "__**Mrs. Jones! Can you take Mr. Hanamiya and his daughter to room 15 for me? I need to stay here in case someone else comes back!**_"

_Another woman, this time a doe-eyed blonde, poked her head in from a doorway on the right and looked around until her gaze landed on the two Japanese._

"_**Sure, Diana. Room 15, right?**_" _She said, stepping to the side, revealing her entire body as she approached the three._

"_**Yeah. Mrs. Peters' room.**_"

_Brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, Mrs. Jones smiled brightly at Akihiko and Ryoma, reaching out to shake the older man's hand._

"_**It's nice to meet you! I'm Mrs. Jones! I'll be showing you the way to your classroom!**_" _She said, shaking Mr. Hanamiya's hand before looking towards Akihiko as she said the last sentence, the seven-year-old hiding behind her father shyly._

"_**Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jones. My daughter and I shall be in your care.**_"

_Grinning, Mrs. Jones clapped her hands once, exclaiming, "__**Alrighty then! Let's get going, shall we! Follow me, please!**_" _before heading out the door, the two Hanamiyas following behind._

"_**You're really lucky, getting Mrs. Peters and all. She's one of the nicest teachers here!**_" _She cheerfully said to Akihiko but when she didn't receive a reply she looked over to the girl, asking her father, "__**Does she speak English or is she just shy?**_"

_Ryoma awkwardly scratched his head before answering, "__**She knows enough to hold a conversation but she's not very good at it and she's shy so combining the both of them…**_" _he trailed off._

"_**Oh. I see. Well, I'm pretty sure there are people here who speak Japanese. Maybe not in her class but there should be! I know there are a lot of people who speak Chinese and Vietnamese, that's for sure!**_" _The blonde grinned, quickly getting over her shock._

"_**I hope so. Her brother is at Drake High School, so she doesn't know anybody.**_"

"_**Well, I personally know a few of the students in your daughter's class and they're all complete sweethearts. I'm sure she'll be just fine! Mrs. Peters receives a lot of foreign ESL students, so she's dealt with this kind of stuff before and - Oh! we're here!**_"

_Akihiko peered out from behind her father and quickly looked over the class she was going to be in for the rest of the year as the two adults she was with spoke to the teacher. It wasn't __too_ _large of a class but it was large enough - 26 individuals exactly. She counted. The majority of them didn't seem threatening and seemed simply curious, if not excited._

_Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of her future peers, Akihiko shifted her weight and gripped her backpack strap, lowing her own gaze to the floor. She stayed that way until she felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder and looked up at her father._

"_Aki, the teacher has already introduced you. Say hello."_

_Frowning slightly, Akihiko reluctantly turned back towards the other children and managed to say, "Konnichiwa, minna-san," bowing._

_Giving her a disapproving look, Ryoma scolded, "English, Akihiko. I know you can do it."_

_Her frown turned into a pout and Akihiko grumbled in English, "__**Hello, everyone. I'm Akihiko Hanamiya. It's nice to meet you all,**_" _once again bowing._

_After that, both the peppy Mrs. Jones and her father left, leaving her to go sit down in her seat and awkwardly sit through class. The only thing about the school day that Akihiko was looking forward to was lunch, so she could get a break, but even when that time rolled around, the poor girl still wasn't able to escape the questions that would inevitably be asked._

"_**Hiya! I'm Anna Jones! These are my friends, Sasha and Cameron Braus! They're sisters. It's nice to meet you, Akihiko!**_" _A blonde introduced, her hands on her hips when she wasn't gesturing towards her friends, a huge grin on her face._

_Akihiko ignored the blatant directness and instead said, "__**It is a pleasure to meet you Anna, Sasha, Camera.**_"

_The trio of friends stared in surprise before the silence was broken by Anna, who had burst out laughing, trying to smother her laughter with her hands._

"_**S-Sorry…! It's just, nobody's ever… called her Camera before…!**_"

_Flushing red, the Asian looked down and busied herself with eating her bento._

"_**It's not that big of a deal, Anna! Look, she's embarrassed!**_" '_Cameron' said, giving her friend a disapproving look._

_The taller of the two brunette's, this one whom Akihiko remembered was called Sasha, sighed and crossed her arms in front of her._

"_**Sorry about Anna. She's usually not like this. Anyway, I'm Sasha and that's my younger sister, Cameron. Pronounced cam-er-in. It's nice to meet you.**_"

"_**Likewise.**_"

* * *

Akihiko groaned slightly as she rolled over onto her stomach and opened her eyes, pushing herself up onto her elbows. Why was she dreaming of that…? It was so long ago…

Letting out a sigh and pushing it out of her head, the teen swung herself off the bed, running her hand through her hair, jumping in surprise when her door was knocked on.

"Akihiko? Are you up? Your father wants to get everything done and packed up today so finish putting your things into the boxes, okay? Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs when you're ready! It's your favorite - pancakes with organic maple syrup!"

Pushing a lone stray strand of hair out of her face, Akihiko called back to her mother, "Hai, Okaa-san! I'm almost done! I'll be right down!"

"Hurry, then! Your food will get cold!"

"I know…"

She busied herself straightening out her terrible bedhead, courtesy of her short hair, before heading downstairs where the sight of her sister eating breakfast greeted him.

"Ohayo, Aki!" The older said after swallowing her food.

"Ohayo…" Akihiko replied, sliding into the adjacent seat. "Where's Okaa-san?"

"She went to go help Otou-san with packing their stuff. She said we should hurry up and finish up since we're - Well, _you guys_ are - leaving tomorrow morning at two in the morning," The teen groaned and slumped over in her seat, grumbling under her breath, which earned sympathetic looks from her sister. "It's not _that_ bad, Aki. I'm sure they have swim teams at Iwatobi High."

"And if they don't? What then?"

"Well…" Misaki trailed off, thinking, as Akihiko unhappily ate her breakfast. "I guess you could start one. I'm sure they'd let you."

"Whatever you say. I'm still against going, though."

"Sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

Akihiko looked up from the rubix cube she was playing with and out the plane window, eyeing the airport below them.

I guess this is it, huh? No more going back… She grimaced. Not like I wanted to come here to begin with…

"Attention all passengers, we will be landing shortly. Please turn off all electronics and prepare for landing," a female voice crackled over the intercom, warning everyone of their impending landing.

Shouko nudged her, whispering, "Put away the rubix cube in your bag. I want everything away so it'll be easier to unload the bags we'll carry."

Akihiko sighed, but nodded in understanding, putting away the toy and moving back into position to stare out the window, waiting for the plane to finally land.

* * *

Standing in front of her aunt's house, Akihiko felt as nothing if nothing had changed, as if this was just part of their yearly trip to visit her. The only thing symbolizing the fact that anything had changed was the noise of the movers around her, moving all their belongings into the house. Of course, there was also the fact that her aunt was in a wheelchair, but she didn't think that made the change as obvious as the movers. For all it counted for, it could have been a minor injury that put the woman in the wheelchair except for the fact that she wasn't able to do anything on her own.

It wasn't that Akihiko didn't _care_ about her aunt-she most definitely did-but she really wanted to compete in regionals, and it was really disappointing to find out that she couldn't. She had been working towards it for nearly eight years after all.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by her father yelling for her to help bring in some of the boxes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!"

Hefting up one of the many boxes that held her belongings, Akihiko slowly trudged up the walkway and into the house where she would put away the box in her room, stopping only to ask which room she was staying in.

"You're in the second room to the right!" Her mother called up to her from downstairs.

"Thank you!"

* * *

SIghing, Akihiko plopped down upon the western-style bed the room had, all the boxes containing her things in a towering stack of doom.

Quite frankly, she was bored. And she had no idea what to do. Sure, she could start unpacking but that was _boring_. She could do that _later_ when it was actually required of her and she couldn't live out of the boxes anymore. She wanted to do something _fun_, like swimming. It was just her luck that the closest pool was halfway across town. Of course there was always the option of swimming in the ocean but it wasn't exactly the most ideal of places to practice. Plus, all the sand would get in her bathing suit and that's just _ew_.

Making up her mind to put up with the walk to the pool, the brunette hurriedly pulled out one of the boxes and rummaged through it to pull out her swimsuit and other swim necessities.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, Oba-san, I'm going to go out!"

Shouko popped her head into the room and stood halfway in the doorway as she asked, "Where are you going?"

Akihiko looked back and shrugged, giving a simple answer of, "Swimming. I'll be back by dinner."

Her mother bit her lip lightly before answering, "Alright… I trust you. Just be safe, alright?"

"Hai, Okaa-san."


	6. Chapter 6

Just as she had remembered, the pool she was going to was quiet with the exception of the splashes of the few swimmers there.

"Nothing really has changed, has it. It's just as if I was here for summer vacation…" She mused. "Granted, even if the accident hadn't happened, we most likely would have come here in a few months anyways once summer vacation started."

The brunette had just started to slip on her bathing suit when someone's shocked voice was heard behind her.

"Akihiko?! Is that you?!"

Only turning around once her bathing suit was secure, Akihiko turned around to face the mystery voice only to be tackled down to the ground before she could get a good look at the person.

"Oh my God, it is you, Akihiko! I haven't seen you in forever!"

Stumbling backwards from the impact, Akihiko let out a an oomph and grabbed the other person by the shoulders.

"Tohru?"

The other girl pulled back, looking at Akihiko with an expression of mock offense.

"Who else? Anyway, what happened? I thought you weren't supposed to come back until summer? Didn't you say you were trying to make it to regionals? Don't tell me you didn't qualify? Those people must be stupid. You're one of the best swimmers I know!"

Akihiko pursed her lips and turned her head away.

"Yeah, well, that was the plan. And sometimes, plans don't always go according to expectations."

Looking at her friend confusedly, Tohru asked, "What happened?"

Sighing, Akihiko explained her situation.

Tohru looked horrified once she heard the explanation.

"That's terrible! I mean, since I live a few houses over, obviously I had heard about your aunt's situation but I didn't know you would have to miss regionals because of it!"

Akihiko sighed and straightened her bathing suit strap, saying in a resented tone, "Well, it's not like there's much I can do about it. Might as well just deal with it and keep walking forward. There's no point in dwelling on my regrets right now. My goal is to get to the Olympics and/or swimming internationals and if I waste my time sulking in my room then all my training will have gone to waste."

Tohru went silent for a while causing the other girl to worry.

"Tohru?"

"That's amazing, Akihiko. I could never do that! I would have been so upset…" She exclaimed, tightly hugging the returnee.

Akihiko blinked in shock before smiling softly and ruffling the younger girl's shoulder-length brown-hair.

"Not really. I just want to meet my goals, even though I can't do it with my friends. Besides, it be selfish of me to put myself before Oba-san. I have my entire life in front of me-I can wait to compete. She, on the other hand, doesn't. Because of her accident she can't do anything on her own. That's why I'll try my hardest to make the best of my situation, because it can't be helped."

"You really are mature, you know that, Akihiko?" Tohru commented, having pulled back from her earlier hug.

Laughing awkwardly, Akihiko denied everything said.

Sighing, Tohru slung an arm around her American-raised friend. "And modest too, apparently…"

Someone clearing their throat behind them caught the pair's attention.

"U-Um, do you mind letting me into the p-pool room? I kinda want to swim..."


	7. Chapter 7

Jumping backwards, Akihiko pulled Tohru back with her and hurriedly bowed, apologizing.

"I-It's fine, I just needed to get b-by…" The person reassured, stuttering. "It's not your fault. Please r-raise your head…"

Lifting just her head, she saw a boy with kind, grey eyes and black hair holding up his hands as if surrendering, although she knew it was because he was trying to reassure her.

Straightening, Akihiko offered the boy a small smile and offered her hand to him, waiting for him to take it.

"I'm Hanamiya Akihiko, I just moved here. What's your name?"

"Ah." He seemed surprised, but answered nonetheless. "I-I'm Katayama Sakiko. It's a-"

"I'm Hinamori Tohru!" The youngest of the group butted in, cutting of Sakiko.

Shoving her elbow into her friend's side and her grin wavering, Akihiko shook his hand and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we'll get along."

Tohru was pushed away to go continue moaning about her side.

"I-I hope so to. The pleasure is a-all mine."

Walking into the pool room together, Akihiko and Sakiko continued to talk. Well, more like Akihiko asked questions and Sakiko stuttered out answers.

"So, how long have you been swimming, Katayama-san?"

"U-Um, since around my s-seventh summer…"

"Oh! So we've been swimming about the same amount of time! Do you swim often?"

"Often enough…"

"Say, wanna race? It's been a while since I've raced someone seriously. What do you say?" He fidgeted nervously, something Akihiko noticed. "Of, course, you don't have to!"

"N-No, it's fine. I want to race…"

Eyes lighting up, the brown-haired teen grinned and excitedly exclaimed, "Really? Great! Let's get started!" She called over the only first-year there, Tohru. "Tohru, be the ref!"

"Haaaai!"

As they got into position on the starting blocks, goggles and swim caps secure on their heads, Akihiko spared a quick glance to her right, where Sakiko was, and asked a seemingly final question. "What type are you?"

He looked at her confused. "W-What are you talking about?"

"What do you swim?"

"Oh, um, I swim backstroke…"

A twisted grin appears on Akihiko's face and she mumbles, "Well, this'll be fun. I haven't raced a backstroke in a long time."

Sakiko decided to pretend he never heard that.

"Ready?" Tohru asks, receiving twin affirmations from her two upperclassmen. "Set? Go!"

* * *

Please follow, favorite, and review! It means a lot to me and it really inspires me!


	8. Chapter 8

Splash! The two swimmers dove into the pool, cheered on by the first-year. It was a good race, and Sakiko barely won, cutting it extremely close as he touched the wall.

"Ah, that was fun, even though I lost!" Akiko chirped as she seated herself on the edge of the pool, pulling off her swim cap to let her hair fall back into place. "What school do you go to? I wanna race you again!" She asked, looking down at the boy who was still in the pool.

"U-Um, I go to I-Iwatobi High…" He stuttered out, following Akihiko's example and pulling himself out of the pool.

"Huh?!" Tohru spluttered, gaping at him. "T-That means we go to the sme school!"

Sakiko blinked.

"You go to go to Iwatobi?"

Slinging an arm around her friend, Akihiko answered for the both of them. "Yep! I'm gonna be a second year once the transfer papers are all finished." She stated, pointing at herself before moving her finger to point at Tohru. "and she's a first year!"

"I-Is that so…"

"That's great though!" Tohru exclaimed. "That means we can all still be friends! Although, Akihiko will have an easier time talking to Katayama-kun since you're in the same year," She noted wistfully, pouting.

"F-Friends?" He looked at the girls in surprise. He hadn't thought they would already be considered friends. After all, they had just met not even half an hour ago!

"Huh? You don't want to?" The girls looked at him expectantly, causing him to fidget slightly under the attention.

"N-No! I mean, yes! I mean, I-I do! I, um, just wasn't expecting it…"

"Great!" She pulled him into their little hug-Could it be considered a hug?-but with him sitting where he was and not having expected it, it ended up with him falling on top of her, who, in turn, fell onto Akihiko who cartwheeled her arms before tumbling into the pool with Sakiko and Tohru following not far behind.

Gasping for air, Tohru groaned and hauled herself out of the pool, with all due respect, looking like a drowned cat. "Now I'm all wet! And I don't have another set of clothes…"

Akihiko tried to stifle her snickers behind her hand as Sakiko surfaced next to her.

"Go get changed into your bathing suit, Tohru. I'll lend you my spare set."

"Uwah, thank you, Akihiko! You're a lifesaver!"

So, it was quite safe to say that the three of them ended up swimming together, although not alone seeing as a few people had entered the pool during their stay.

Katayama Sakiko was the first to leave, stating that he had homework to complete.

Hinamori Tohru was next, having to go eat dinner soon.

Eventually all who was left there was an exhausted Hanamiya Akihiko who, much to her chagrin, didn't feel like getting up from her spreadeagle position on the floor. Soon enough though, she dragged herself up and towards the changing room, fully planning on going home and passing out on her bed.

* * *

Yawning and trudging down the sidewalk, Akihiko headed up the stairs that lead towards the street that her aunt's house was on, chugging the water she had bought at the convenience store a block away from the public pool.

She had been just about to turn into the front yard when the three people at the front door caught her attention. Three people she didn't know.

Lucky for her, the oldest of the three, a brown-haired teen around her age, turned around and spotted her, giving a smile.

"Hello. I'm Tachibana Makoto. These are my siblings, Ren and Ran. We live next door. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

**A/N: **Hey, guys! It's Bella Archer! I hope y'all enjoy my latest chapter! Please comment, like, follow, etc! It really helps, ya know? I appreciate all the support you guys are giving me! Feel free to tell me what you think about my writing and what I could improve on, what you liked, etc.! Don't hesitate at all! :3


	9. Notice

Hello, everyone! Sorry this isn't a new chapter. I… need to straighten out some information and stabilize some of the plotline for WTTB, so the next chapter might take a little longer than I've originally intended. I will also be editing small things in the story so be on the lookout for that. Even if you don't though, I will put an A/N at the top of the new chapter when I post it explaining what I changed, okay? It won't be anything major though. Thank you for your continued patience and support!


	10. Important Author's Note

Hello everyone. I apologize that this is not an update, nor will it ever be one. I, after a heavy debate with my desires and my guilty conscience, have decided to discontinue WiTTB. I have made it a policy to never write something I wouldn't read, and quiet frankly, the odds are that I wouldn't read something with this plot. I've always ignored it when I saw it before. AGain, I'm really sorry that I'm discontinuing this story, but if it makes any of you feel any better, I _will _put it up for adoption, if anyone else wants to continue it. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I sincerely apologize.

-Bella Archer


	11. Extra Info

Information for any interested in adopting my story can be got by contacting me. Thank you. Please don't adopt without consulting me.


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